Back in March our courses in Les Deux Alpes, France and Banff, Canada came to a grinding halt and the sudden departure of our guests left our resorts and lodges eerily quiet. Since then 2020 has continued to challenge us with so much uncertainty making it hard to plan our approach to the coming winter. The one consistent thing through the summer has been the enthusiasm for and commitment to skiing that our regular guests have shown. They, like us, cannot conceive of missing out on a winter season and desperately need a ski or snowboard trip to look forward to. So, we’re excited to confirm that ..read more

Banff has some absolutely amazing food! There truly is something for everyone. People visit Banff from all over the world and there is cuisine to suit every palate. Greek, Mexican, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Irish, Italian, French are just a few that spring to mind and that’s just on one street!   Here’s a round up of local faves: (Pure opinion, judged entirely by my own taste buds!) Best Pizza – Bear St Tavern Bear St Tavern is a rustic, laid back hangout offering seriously good thin crust pizza. Plenty of great beers and cocktails along with other menu items. Gluten free crust is avai ..read more

Do you want to know why people become ski and snowboard instructors? To become a ski or snowboard instructor, you must be driven, dedicated and passionate. We very rarely hear about someone becoming a ski instructor because they inherited the family business, or they discovered they were good at it in PE. It is also unlikely that a ski instructor will have just fallen into the profession. There are clear pathways that individuals must go through to become an instructor with exams and courses to pass. Not forgetting the shadowing and teaching hours each newly qualified instructor will need to d ..read more

It’s easy to be reminded why we call Banff our Canadian base. There are so many places to ski and incredible views to see. Endless activities, an incredible choice of dining options and great night’s out. It’s one of the most beautiful places on earth in our opinion and for a small transient town the sense of community is like no other. The BC lads at the festival SnowDays festival is a wonderful celebration of all things winter in Banff National Park! The festival runs from January 15-26 in 2020 but takes place every January. The festival accompanies the international Ice Magic ice carv ..read more

 This week in Banff we had a serious cold snap. Temperatures around -30ºc and after factoring in wind and humidity it feels closer to -45°c! While these temperatures might seem completely unbearable it can be a great time to ski, with bright blue skies, empty runs and lots of hot chocolate breaks plus a guilt free poutine lunch. There are a few things you have to pay close attention to if you want to not only survive but thrive in this climate. The first is dressing well, we’re all about a few good layers. First off you’ll want a light, loose, long sleeve base layer. Light because a thinner ..read more

Big Horn Sheep Big horn sheep are a common sighting in the area. As the name suggest these guys have some serious horns, rams sport massive spiraling horns while the ewes are short and spiky. Big Horn Sheep taken by Stephen C. Torbit   Mountain Goats Mountain goats are quite numerous in the park but are rarely spotted because of their preference for a secluded rugged habitat. They have an all white coat with black, dagger like horns carried by both sexes. Mountain Goats in near by Jasper. Photo from Donald M Jones   Wolves Wolves are an incredible animal and I’m sad to say the Banff wolf p ..read more

Banff National Park is home to more than 50 different species of mammals. Pine martins and porcupines can be spotted during training at Lake Louise and if you’re really lucky you may spot a Lynx on the slopes. Bears can sometimes be seen around Banff from early April and big horn sheep and elk are a regular sighting. Some are cute, some are terrifying and all should be given plenty of space to keep them wild. Wolverine Wolverine by Paul Sangeorzon You may have thought that the wolverine existed only in the Marvel universe but here in Banff we know them to be a very real if very elusive creat ..read more

Its a Monday. Its 8am. Your alarm is going off. Your mind feels fuzzy, a buzzing reminder of a Sunday night well spent. Standing up you’re a tad unsteady but your body feels strong. That’s when it hits you. There’s no mundane 9-5 for you today. Your in Banff. Your body is strong because you spend everyday riding hard. Seeking out pow, carving down world cup runs and sliding rails. Two strides take you to the window and you throw back the curtains. Breathtaking mountains are silhouetted against a crisp blue sky. Looking down you notice a thick white blanket of snow covers the ground and yo ..read more

If your ears are fans of podcasts then it might be time to give them some snow ones to listen to. We have subscribed to a few ski and snowboard podcasts to make sure there is always a bit of winter in our feed. There is a wide range of Ski and Snowboarding pods hanging around in the podcast corner of the internet. From Ski instructor specific podcast to ones that focus only on the UK dry slope scene. Here are a few of our recommendations. Ski The Kingdom This pod is all about the UK Snowsports scene with Jack Tompkins. Sadly they stop producing episodes about a year ago. But that doesn’t mean ..read more

Here in Banff we have one of the longest winter seasons out there. Most years we can expect to be out riding the resort from November through to mid May! A longer season means more pow days, more laps with friends and more après opportunities. 12th November @SkiLouise The past few years we’ve been seeing some of the best early season conditions in memory and Autumn 2019 has been all time! This year we’ve seen one of our earliest openings ever at The Lake Louise Ski Resort kicking things off on November 1st! We are so blessed to be located in beautiful Banff national park. The beginning of De ..read more